


Monk's Drink

by Metalera_Lair



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adult Gaang (Avatar), Airbending & Airbenders, Avatar State, Beer-Bending, Bending (Avatar), Best Friends, Big Brother Sokka (Avatar), Big Brother Zuko (Avatar), Birthday Party, Come Have a Drink of My People, Dancing, Drinking, Drinking & Talking, Earthbending & Earthbenders, Epic Friendship, F/M, Female Friendship, Firebending & Firebenders, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Fun, Gaang (Avatar), Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Humor, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Light Angst, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Post-Canon, Precious Aang (Avatar), Protective Sokka (Avatar), References to Friends (TV), Romance, Waterbending & Waterbenders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27578354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metalera_Lair/pseuds/Metalera_Lair
Summary: As Avatar Aang celebrates his sixteenth birthday and steps into adulthood, Sokka comes across mysterious ancient barrels that carry a suspiciously close resemblance to the Air Nomad insignia on them. Now, what could possibly go wrong? All the canon pairings. Rated for one small implication mid-dialogue and occasional P.D.A. (aka 'oogies').
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	Monk's Drink

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, I would move into one of the Air Temples and become an Air Nomad in a heartbeat, if only I could.

As the sun was beginning it's descend towards horizon on this tranquil autumn day, the Fire Nation's Royal Palace sparked to life for a grand celebration of Avatar Aang's stepping into adulthood kept drawing in the crowds of many nobles from across the world.

Since Air Temples were only just beginning an extensive reconstruction process by Air Acolytes under Aang's guidance, Fire Lord Zuko had benevolently offered to host his friend's Sweet Sixteen party at his Palace that Avatar had gladly accepted. Well, in all honesty Aang would've preferred a much smaller and less boastful event wishing he could just spend the day with his found family, but he was the Avatar and his global status required acknowledgement and presence of all the world's leaders. And thus, he was stuck amid the crowded Grand Ballroom entertaining the esteemed guests and being thankful that they had at least stopped with their persistent matchmaking of him with their daughters and nieces, seemingly coming to terms that Avatar's heart was, in fact, taken. Speaking of which, Aang glanced across the hall, watching Katara speak with Mai and Suki; his breath caught in his throat for a moment, as he admired her elegant form clad in traditional Air Nomad garments that master waterbender had surprised her boyfriend with earlier today. A soft, tender smile touched Airbender's lips; his hand clutched a betrothal necklace he had carved a few months ago and had been carrying around in his pocket ever since, waiting for the right moment to ask the big question. Maybe tonight will present him with such an opportunity?

Growing weary of the petty nobles crowding in on him with all sorts of political and social nonsense, Aang excused himself and made his way over to the ladies, doing his best to ignore the indignant looks on the faces he had abandoned so abruptly.

"Flameo, miladies," he chirped suddenly popping up next to the young women, almost making them jump. Sometimes they forgot how Air Nomads – or Air Nomad, to be more precise – were so light on their feet. "How are you doing this fine evening?"

"We are doing swell, Aang, thanks," Mai drawled, quite taken aback with his unexpected appearance. Maybe Zuko's idea of putting a jingle-bell around Aang's neck to announce his approaching wasn't such a bad thought after all. But of course, that kind of chats was something that she and her husband kept between themselves. The Fire Lady sighed; her thin pale lips stretching into a tiny smirk. "I see the small talks with all the noblemen have finally bored you. Welcome to the club."

"Oh well, I... It wasn't... I mean," Aang rumbled nervously, stretching the back of his neck.

"Don't worry, in this club, we don't judge our members," Suki laughed. Being an internationally recognized leader of elite warriors and a wife of the Southern Water Tribe's Chieftain in-training, she knew exactly what they were talking about.

"Well, uh, thanks," airbender chuckled, slightly relieved. "But actually, I-I was wondering if I can borrow my girlfriend for a dance?"

Katara blinked, being brought back to Earth from watching her beloved interact with their friends in silent amusement; a fond smile brightened her features as she accepted Avatar's offered hand and followed him on the dance floor, while Suki and Mai cheered them up.

"Not sure if I have already mentioned just how beautiful you look tonight?" Aang murmured affectionately into Katara's ear, as he pulled her close, causing the girl to giggle and look up at him with those deep ocean blue eyes of hers. It sure felt nice that his height had finally surpassed his girlfriend's, and now he got to enjoy all the cool perks that came with it, like kissing her on her forehead or resting his chin on top of her head, when embracing her in a back hug. All these little things that he could savour till her brother barged into the picture with his trademark catchphrase " _Oogies!_ " that is. Although, four years later it seemed like Sokka was now doing it more out of habit rather than actual discomfort.

"Orange and yellow suit you," he said with an adoring gaze, "I feel like I'm amongst my people again." Aang gave her a tentative smile, sorrowful notes tracing his voice. "Thank you."

As the gray of his eyes drowned in her blue, Katara knew from the seriousness of his tone just how grateful he was for her little gesture.

"Your people will always be with you, sweetie," waterbender whispered, as she cupped his cheek and softly ran her thumb across his cheekbone. And she meant it with her whole being, just like she meant them being a family all these years ago, when they had first stepped into the ruins of the Southern Air Temple. Aang had lost his whole nation to the terrors of war, and nothing could ever reverse it nor heal this scar fully, but her trade wasn't a healer and protector for nothing. Katara knew from experience that at times pain of loss came crushing down in tidal waves, some days hitting harder than the others. And even with the Air Nomad and Guru training, young Avatar still experienced his moments of occasional grief having to take Appa on solo rides and meditate in the mountains to ease his overwhelmed mind and lift his spirits – quite literally. It hurt her soul to see her partner's usually exuberant attitude be stained with emotional anguish. She would be there to heal the pain, just as she had been before. And naturally, his Team Avatar was also there to support him in war and in peace, in sorrow and in happiness. They may not be family by blood or heritage, but they were family by destiny. " _Always_."

It amazed her every time how Aang's smile seemed to illuminate everything around him, just like the rays of sunshine breaking through the thick blanket of grim thunderclouds up in the sky. He tightened his hold on Katara, and she melted into his well-sculpted chest – she, too, got to enjoy some cool perks of Aang's towering over her. They've both grown up so much over the past years, nurturing each other's elemental practices, shielding each other from harm and rebuilding the world side by side.

Airbender nuzzled against Katara's silky brown locks taking in her scent and placing a gentle kiss in the crown of her hair. Now was as good a time as ever. Drawing in a deep breath, he started.

"Katara, I've been meaning to ask you something for quite some time now."

Young waterbender met Avatar's gaze questioningly, mesmerized with its intensity.

"Ever since you woke me up from that iceberg and we've know each other, everything that I have done was to create a better world for you to live in. Your strength and righteousness have always been like a beacon helping me maintain my path at my darkest. And when it felt like I had been stripped from everything in this world, you were there to make it whole again, to make me complete again. Katara, you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. And there is nothing more that I would like to do for the rest of my life than trying to make you feel the same way. To make you laugh this beautiful laugh of yours and to brighten the world with your gorgeous smile, to forever be your waterbending apprentice and sparring partner, to keep you from any harm and hurt, and fight off those crazy enough to try causing it to you – that is if you don't whoop their butts first, of course." A small crooked grin flashed on his face, as he pulled out a necklace from his robes' pocket and gently placed it into Katara's shaking hand; a wet glint shining in her eyes as she sniffed, her emotions resonating with the ones of a young man in front of her. "I know how much your mother's necklace means to you, so you don't have to replace it for me. And yet... Katara, my love, will you ma-..."

"There he is!"

"Sokka!" Exclaimed Katara, as the couple nearly jumped out of their skins at the sudden interruption; the tenderness of their moment now ruined to the core, as the mentioned tribesman quickly approached the couple.

"Katara, I need Aang," completely oblivious to the ongoing proposal, Sokka seemed overly hyped for unknown reasons; his blue eyes burning with feverish excitement and a wild grin across his face. "Aang, you gotta come with me. It's important!"

"B-but Sokka..!" Monkey Feathers! Out of all possible places in the Royal Palace you'd think that at least you will be allowed some intimacy with your girlfriend on the dance floor.

"Let's go arrow-head!" Really desperate to get moving, Sokka grabbed airbender by hand and started pulling him away from Katara.

"Sokka, stop making a scene," his sister hissed furiously, hiding the betrothal necklace in her sleeve. She couldn't believe her big brother was such a dope he did not realize what was happening right before his eyes. Young waterbender had been dreaming of this moment for the past couple of years, and it just had to be crushed with Sokka's outrageous intrusiveness. Figures. He's been acting this way since the beginning of her and Aang's relationship, why should a marriage proposal be any different?

The water in a nearby small fountain started bubbling up causing surprised exclamations from the bystanders.

Twisting his arm out of the tribesman's clutch, Aang caught Katara's attention by softly wrapping his fingers around her palms, bringing them up to his lips and planting a gentle kiss on waterbender's hands. A trick worked its magic, as the girl visibly relaxed and dropped the tension in surrounding water units.

"I will be back before you know it, sweetie. Will you be ready with your answer then?"

"C'mon, Aang! You will have plenty of time for _oogies_ with my sister after we're done!" Sokka got a hold of his victim yet again and determinedly hauled him across the ballroom.

Here we go. _Oogies_. Avatar rolled his eyes, accepting the inevitable, and followed his possibly-future-brother-in-law on whatever venture he was taking them.

After spending a long few minutes striding through endless, dimly lit halls of the Royal Palace, Aang started growing quite uneasy, still secretly holding a grudge on his spoiled proposal attempt. He sighed in resignation and dared to probe once more.

"Alright, Sokka, you got me. Now what's the big deal? What's going on?"

"You will get it, when you see it. Now hurry up."

Avatar's sighs casted a great shame on Palace's ventilation system that evening.

Following restless Sokka around through the maze of halls, Aang wondered if even Zuko would be able to find them at that point. That's it, Sokka must've finally lost it – his responsibility and pressure from overlooking his Tribe finally breaking him; or could be that he actually knew that airbender was proposing to his little sister up there on the dance floor and now Avatar Aang's fate was done for?

"We're here! Quick, get in," Sokka abruptly stopped by a rustic wooden door; pushing it open, he revealed a spacious closed-in room, lit with a number of torches and piled up with boxes, jars and containers of all shapes and sizes. From the looks and smells of it, Aang assumed it to be a storage pantry considering how they have recently passed by the kitchen area. "Don't just stand there, get inside before someone sees us!" Sokka hissed, obviously anxious to retreat into the room.

Yup, that's official. He will not make it past his sixteenth birthday. Since a traditional announcement of his identity as an Avatar was no longer required today, and seeing how the balance had been pretty much restored to the world, the Avatar Cycle might as well be reborn now. What are the chances of the next Avatar being reincarnated to the Southern Water Tribe? Maybe Katara will look after them... He will not be getting to know her as his wife, but his almighty spirit could still watch over her through the new host.

Overwhelmed with a sudden sense of claustrophobia – at least now he knew how Appa felt being forced into the caves – Aang took a deep breath of freedom before stepping into the cramped space; a heavy door quickly slammed behind him.

"You will never believe what I have just found," Sokka, in his ecstatic mode again, smacked Aang's shoulder causing the latter to gasp and jump in surprise fuelled with his current tension. "So, you know how I never have enough to eat at all these glamorous banquets with its teeny-weeny bite pass-arounds, right? Well, this time I pulled one of my sneaky cards and followed the servants down here to get my cravings fulfilled... By the way, do me a favour and don't mention that to Zuko, okay? But anyhow, that's when I discovered this!"

With a triumphant "ta-da" Sokka yanked at the dusty linen by one of the walls revealing several bulky wooden barrels beneath, as the cloth dramatically slid down to the floor.

"Sooooo, what do you think?" Probed Sokka, noticing airbender's deadpanned stare.

"I can't believe this... You dragged me all the way down here just to show me some old barrels? Just when I was about to... I thought you said it was something important!" Avatar's lash out was beginning to ruffle the air across the room.

"But it _is_ important! Don't you see it? Let me get more light for you. Take a closer look! Here!" Sokka pointed at the ancient runes carved into the wood of the barrels, finally succeeding to draw Aang's attention to the source of his excitement. "I'm no master here, but aren't these..?"

"The Air Nomad carvings..." Whispered the Avatar, crouching and running his hesitant fingers over the aged insignia, as if afraid it would dissolve into nothing at his touch. All his earlier irritation with his friend had vanished into thin air. "I can't believe this..."

"Yeah," the tribesman grinned and patted teenager's shoulder, satisfied with his accomplished errand. "Happy birthday, buddy."

Aang replied with the brightest of smiles.

"These come from the Eastern Air Temple, aging back to the year of... Sozin's Comet," airbender translated the runes out-loud, a sense of melancholy mixing up with wonder. Regardless, this information was not of much relevance to Sokka, who was dying of curiosity.

"They must've been stored in an incredibly secure area to make it to our time. Sure you didn't stash them with you in the iceberg thanks to your sneaky Avatar powers?" Sokka pondered with fake concern that he quickly gave up noticing his friend's glare; instead, he just went straight to the point. "Let's open it!"

"Sokka, no!"

"Sokka, yes!" Tribesman retorted, pulling out a crowbar from only spirits knew where. "Come on, Aang, it must be something serious to be destined to survive the attack and be kept safely all these years! Aren't you even a little bit interested to know what's inside? Perhaps, the last testament of Air Nomads addressed to their sole survivor?"

Aang squirmed nervously, his gray eyes shooting from the barrels up to the crowbar and back. He sure was eager to open their discovery, but at the same time he dreaded of what it might contain. His people's heritage or the consequences of his past mistakes? Airbender swallowed hard, his throat thick from the tension. Whatever these barrels held, it was a part of his nature, and sooner or later he will need to see whatever lost Air Nomad secrets it hid; he owned it to his people.

And as of lately he was more inclined to face his matters head on.

"Let's do it." He decided, giving Sokka the all-too-familiar crooked smile.

"Don't have to tell me twice!"

A few moments of prodding and groaning later, the lid opted out of yet another possible hundred years of concealment and finally gave in to Sokka's determination revealing a dark liquid illuminated by reflections of torch's flames. The young men exchanged a look of puzzlement.

"Is that... a holy water or something?" Sokka slightly bent over to get a closer look at the splashing contents of the barrel.

"We are more of spirituality followers, Sokka," Aang countered with a raised eyebrow at his friend, who was so caught up in his examination process, he was nearly dunking his own face into the liquid. Then suddenly tribesman's eyes widened in realization that was instantly replaced by mischievous look on his face.

"Avatar Aang, _O Spiritual One_ , do bless me with your knowledge," he mock-bowed to an airbender, making the latter back away in astonishment. "Were Air Nomads brewing beer as a tool to escape into the Spirit World or was it more of a leisure time thing?"

"Say what?"

"It's beer, Aang!" Sokka seemed to radiate with excitement. "You never told me your people were Master Beer-benders, too, you sly monk you! This is so great! Have you ever tried it before? Is it a part of your nomad initiation process? We gotta drink it! Where are the cups?"

Aang felt like his head was going to explode from Sokka's blabbering and all the flow of surprising information. Beer? His elders in the Eastern Air Temple had a secret brewery? But wasn't that against their values? An intoxicated mind can be the cause of many wrongdoings and as such, the consumption of alcohol was greatly discouraged in Air Nomad culture. Nonetheless, next thing he knew, young tribesman was smoothly scooping up a mug full of beverage.

"Wait, Sokka, no! Surely you're not going to drink a century-old beer?"

"No, of course not," chuckled Sokka before filling up a second mug and shoving it into Aang's hands. "I'm not an idiot to drink it all by myself."

"What? No, I can't," Aang panicked and evaded the stretched out mug, as if he was a twelve year-old dodging Toph's boulders once again.

"Sure you can! It's your birthday, you're obligated to have a drink; especially, if it's prepared by your people! It makes perfect sense!"

"You don't get it, Sokka. In my culture, we don't take any intoxicants to prevent our minds from clouding," reasoned the Avatar, giving Sokka and the mug of beer a stressed out look.

"Aang, this beer was made by monks! Monks! I bet it blesses you with forgiveness of all your past sins by default, eh?!" Tribesman cheered on, but in vain; Aang was obviously not impressed with his tirade. Sokka cleared his throat before trying a different approach. "So, what, you can brew beer, but you cannot drink it? Sounds hypocrite. How do you tell the flavour of the vintage without tasting it?" Sokka pressed on, wagging the mugs and spilling their contents everywhere.

"You could... sniff it?" Starting to feel cornered, Aang tried to wiggle his way out.

"Yeah, right. You do know that fumes can intoxicate your brains too, right?"

"I... didn't... Really?"

"Uh-huh. Surely, you won't disrespect the remains of your own culture by refusing to taste them? You might be the last Air Nomad to ever try it." He slowly offered the mug once again, which airbender reluctantly accepted this time. A soft smile touching his lips, Sokka gently placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and gave him a serious look. "Aang, I know how you treasure your heritage. And I'm sorry to say this, but this might be the last chance to pass on the brewery tradition as an imperative part of your culture. Maybe if we drink it, we will even be able to tell the essential ingredients to replicate the cooking process and stop it from wasting away."

Aang lowered his gaze, his lips pulled tight. He had to admit that Sokka was right. As the last surviving Air Nomad, he couldn't let the customs of his nation fade away.

"But Sokka, aren't I too young to be consuming this?" Eyebrows shot upwards on the young Avatar's face in the look of utter innocence, as Aang attempted to pull the age card as his last resort.

"Define "too young". Aren't you turning sixteen? What's the legal drinking age then, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I dunno... Twenty-one?" airbender mused full of vain hope.

"Yeah, right," nineteen-year old Sokka huffed impatiently with a swift roll of his eyes. "Aang, you are hundred-sixteen years old. Drink up."

"But..."

"Okay, fine. As your senior, you have my word that whatever are the consequences of your intoxication – if any – might be, I will be held accountable. Satisfied? You're drinking with your elder, my boy. I don't even have to glue on the beard anymore, cause – check this out!" He ecstatically pointed at the dark shadows tinting the edges and sides of his chin. "Everything is going to be fine, trust me."

Aang let out a long sigh, as he slowly brought up the mug to his lips before pulling his mouth in a humorous smirk.

"Good luck with taking responsibility for an alcohol-fuelled Avatar State," he murmured before taking his first sip of the beer. Sokka's mug froze half-way to his own lips, young man's eyes widening in an intense horror from realization that the deed had already been done and he deliberately forced it upon himself. All he could do now was watch the teenager swallow down his drink, nomad's face immediately cringing from the expected bitterness that always came with the first sip.

"I can't believe my people would create something so horrendous...ly delightful," as Aang's revolt slowly turned into the awe; he was just as stunned as the "elder" next to him. "Sokka, it tastes just like fruit pies!"

"It... does?" Sparing the drink in front of him a confused look, tribesman gulped down some of the beer. "This... is the smoothest beer I've ever tried." He purred and cradled his mug close in a somewhat protective embrace, as if afraid some force of nature will rid him off of this precious beverage in the most ravaging manner.

"Right?" Aang's excitement was admirable, if one remembered his earlier doubts. Boy took another sip, a slightly bigger one this time. "I can definitely taste bananas. And also a hint of..."

"...passion fruit?" Guessed Sokka with a look of true expert on his face, swirling the contents of his mug; he sat down on one of the boxes to savour the tasting further.

"Exactly," hummed Aang and nested on the trunk nearby. All his troubles seemingly washed away with fruity notes and comforting warmth that always bloomed in his belly as a follow up to beer's journey down to his stomach. It felt soothing, reminding him of warm summer nights at the Southern Air Temple, when he'd finish his evening meditations and reward himself with a cup of tea and a slice of fresh pie in Gyatso's company just before the curfew. He spoke nostalgically after yet another sip. "You know, every July we'd deliver tons of fruit harvest to the Eastern Air Temple."

"No kidding," Sokka mused, enjoying his drink. The lightness of his mug suggested a prompt refill.

"Yeah. And you know something else? That particular year was big on bananas and passion fruits," the corner of airbender's mouth formed a heartfelt grin.

"No kidding!" Sokka's eyebrows shot up in incredulity. "Aang, are you drinking your own produce?!"

"Seems so," Aang sighed, his unfocused gaze drowning in the leftovers inside of his mug. He turned to his friend with a gentle, somewhat vulnerable smile. "Can I have some more beer, please?"

"Of course, you can." Sokka's heart clenched for a second from the look on airbender's face, dark grey eyes telling a twisted story. Tribesman served another round. "Well, you are surely full of surprises, Aang. We should unite our forces to start our own drink brand. 'Beer Temple' or 'Monk's Drink' sound good enough, don't you think?"

Young man smiled as teenager's light-hearted chuckles traced the corners of the pantry.

"I'm gonna need a proper look at the Eastern Air Temple's restoration then and fix up the brewery before we start. Like you said, we need to maintain the tradition," Avatar smirked, bringing up the mug to his face.

"As you wish, Master Brewer," Sokka gave a mock-bow. "By the way, my beer is getting a bit warm. Care to cool it off?" He stretched his mug out for Aang to work his magic, and after two simple palm moves both cups obtained a satisfying feel of freshness and enhanced the flavours to a new lip-smacking level. "Beer-bending is officially the most useful art of our time." Young men laughed cheerfully.

"Sokka, I know I missed most of it, but didn't you get high on a cactus juice once?" Aang furrowed his brow trying to remember.

"Hey, we do not speak of these times," Sokka narrowed his eyes and pointed his finger warningly at the Avatar. The latter giggled silly. It was almost time for a third refill.

"Okay, but hear me out," he turned clumsily on his seat to better face his drinking partner. "What if we add it on into the brew? We can set up a cactus plantation and brand it, too!"

Sokka gasped and stared at his friend surprised.

"Aang, I love it! I can see the headline already – 'Agave-tar State will bless you with the power of spirits'".

"Agave?" Aang raised a brow in confusion.

"Yeah, that's the cactus I got high on," Sokka clarified as if stating the obvious, he continued with a dreamy glint in his eyes. "And now it's gonna change the world." **(A/N. Before we proceed, it is important to clarify that in no way Sokka's cactus juice came from agave -** **or the implied blue agave plant, to be precise. It was done for the sake of the joke, and I apologize for the suggested inaccuracy. Now, moving on with the story! ^_^ )**

"As long as it's not entirely in your image, then it's gotta be alright," Aang smirked into his mug, earning an indignant "hey!" out of his friend that changed into a following reciprocated fit of chuckles. Calming down, the Avatar swirled the beer in his cup and hummed with a relaxed expression drawn across his face. "This is nice," he murmured with a small smile.

Sokka shot him a puzzled look, but his features softened with an immediate understanding.

"Yeah… It is," he nodded in agreement, furrowing his brows slightly in thought. "How long has it been since we got a breather like that?"

"Dunno…" Aang replied quietly, his brows knit together as well. "Seems like forever, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," tribesman shook his head grimly. Their lives were getting busier with each passing month, as they worked on plenty of global development projects that most of the times lead them onto separate paths or left them with no time to lay back and catch up. Even their custom mini-vacations were a rare option as of late. "Looks like we are getting old with all the world's responsibilities growing on us, eh? It's good to have a break sometimes."

"I wish… I wish we could do it more often," younger teenager admitted. He had come to terms with his Avatar duties a long time ago and was always there to answer the call of need, but lately it seemed the need was constant, while the expectations and demands kept rising higher. Boy continued in a small voice. "You know, in a way, I am glad I could escape the upstairs crowd. Monkey Feathers, I am turning sixteen today! I just... wanted a small and simple celebration amongst my friends, not some high-class a la grande function squirming with world's officials. All the same discussions of the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom, the rallies and industrial expansion over and over _and over_ again; and _of course_ , every single sage's strategy outweighs the rest of the court's. They always know better, don't they? It's almost like we traded a Hundred-year War for a nasty game of opinions." Airbender exhaled heavily, taking a bitter gulp out of the cup. "Everyone sees me as the all-powerful Avatar, master of the elements and – apparently – politics, but just for one day, I want to push all this noise aside and have some... down time, you know?" Aang sighed. He was beginning to feel a tad funny, as if his mouth kept moving all on its own, and the words escaping his tongue sounded almost foreign. The feeling was new and sensually liberating. Airbender shifted, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "I... Uh... Sorry, that's quite selfish of me to think this way."

Avatar felt a comforting hand land on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly, and he looked up to meet Sokka's reassuring gaze tracing with subtle concern and repressed anger.

"You are _not_ selfish for wishing for some off time, Aang. You may be the Avatar, but you're still a human," tribesman reminded Aang firmly. Rubbing his neck, Sokka drew in a calming breath before continuing in a mild tone. "No one said that restoring the harmony into the world would be simple, but in the end it's gonna be worth it. Don't let someone's whispers drag you down, bud. It's easy to let the youth fight their wars and their people take all the beating, while they enjoy the comforts of luxurious pillows and refreshments at home, and then act all-knowing and righteous post-war. They know that they've failed us as a generation and former leaders – just like their precedents did, that's why most of them will try to cover their sins with blunt influence alone. That's how they hope to redeem themselves, those self-righteous jerks." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "Aang, the pressure and expectations are not an easy burden, but you know that you don't have to carry them all by yourself. Southern Water Tribe's got your back. And Fire Nation, too! We've been in for a ride – quite literally – since day one after all and we do intend on seeing it all the way through."

Airbender clasped his cup tightly, finding his anchor in it – even if for a moment – as he felt a huge weight being lifted from his shoulders. Teenager couldn't help a small smile that tugged at his mouth, while he glanced at the elder man and murmured, "I guess you're right. Thank you, Sokka... That means a lot."

Sokka beamed and shook his friend's shoulder. "Don't mention it, buddy! Those hypocrites never stood a chance, eh? I'm still surprised you haven't gone full Avatar State mode on them. Not even once! I admire your patience. Just the thought of yet another meeting bores the hell out of me!"

"It is pretty challenging at times, yes... Especially when Lord Zao takes his turn in speech," Aang shuddered remembering the ancient Earth Kingdom sage, who was a strict believer that age equalled knowledge and authority and disregarded Team Avatar as mindless and inexperienced toddlers.

Sokka barked with laughter at the thought of the senile lord.

"Have you ever noticed how he keeps dozing off amid the councils? I swear, once he nearly dropped face-first onto the table. That's why he always sits on the further side by the wall to support himself during the naps and draw less attention.

"No way..!"

"Yeah way! They don't call him Lord Snoo-Zao for nothing!"

Both young men burst out laughing, while sharing one more round of beer they have grown quite fond of and telling their favourite stories from their countless duties as world's leaders. So caught up in making fun of yet another infamous sage, they haven't noticed how much time has passed since their arrival to the pantry nor that they were not alone anymore.

"What the flameo is going on here?"

The Avatar and the tribesman jumped in their seats before turning to face the source of the sudden interruption of their ever so entertaining debates, only to discover none other than Fire Lord Zuko fully dressed in his formal attire and currently gaping at his friends from the doorway. Everyone blinked taking each other in before Sokka gestured vaguely at their new arrival and proclaimed proudly, "...And once I glued His Hotness's royal butt here to his seat on the Four Nations' council meeting. Now that's what I call 'jerk-bending'."

"Huh? Wait… It was you?!" Zuko stared at the confessor in pure shock, clearly not expecting the first thing he hears to be such a revelation. "I had to skip the rest of my appointments that day just so my advisors could eliminate the mess you put me in!" He squealed indignantly, as a series of very sour memories danced in his mind's eye.

"Yes, you are welcome," Sokka returned with a sense of fulfillment and slurped on the contents of his mug with gusto, while Aang was doing his best – and desperately failing – to suppress a fit of amused giggles behind his free hand clasped over his mouth.

Once more Zuko found himself staring at the couple in front of him, stupefied. Something was definitely off of these two, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it just yet.

"Just… what exactly is happening here? You two are acting so weird…-er than usual."

Finally a peculiar, yet somewhat familiar and definite smell reached his nostrils; Fire Lord's good eye widened in disbelief.

"Sokka, Aang, what are you drinking exactly?" A twenty-year old squinted at his younger friends with a rapidly growing suspicion. "Please don't tell me its alcohol…"

The addressed teenagers exchanged a concerned look before offering Zuko the widest of their grins.

"Yup! Care to join?"

"You gotta try this, Sifu Hotman! It's the monk's beer! My people made it!"

"What?! Oh no, Aang, I was planning to present this to you upon the completion of Air Temples' reconstructions..."

Sokka and Aang drawled a comprehensive "ooooohhh" in the unison, side-glancing at the steadily decreasing levels of the opened barrel's contents.

"Welp. Sorry about that, Zuko," Sokka scratched the back of his head, grinning awkwardly at the Fire Lord. "But Aang turns sixteen today, it's an obligation that he drinks it!"

"Yeah!" Aang cheered and swayed his mug upwards; the beer sloshed over the rim due to the hasty movement. He did a small bending move with his free hand and in a short moment he was now holding another clay goblet, which was swiftly filled up and stretched out in firebender's direction. "And it's an obligation that you drink with us, hotman!"

"I am not drinking, Aang," Zuko declined firmly, folding his arms in contempt and frowning. "And stop calling me that!"

"What?! Are your friends not good enough for ya to share a drink with them, Lord Swanky?!" Sokka ridiculed and was about to stand up, when Aang interrupted him by shoving his own, quite full mug into tribesman's hands.

"Sokka, hold my beer." Avatar swooshed onto his feet and walked up to his former teacher, probably getting a little too close to his face. "Zuko... Do you respect my culture?"

"Huh?" firebender reeled back, gaping at his friend.

"I said, do you respect my culture?" Aang repeated himself insistently, poking Zuko in the chest with each word.

"O-of course I do! What kind of question is this?!" Fire Lord cried, growing quite agitated and shoving away his friend's hand of justice.

"Then shut up and have a drink of my people!" Avatar reasoned and roughly thrust the splashing goblet into the elder man's hands.

"Aang..!" As much as Zuko had grown accustomed to Aang's perkiness, _this_ particular behaviour was completely new in boy's repertoire and naturally was an ugly fit for a gentle soul of an Air Nomad.

"...Although, I reckon you've had plenty of its taste by now with these barrels being so conveniently stored in your palace all these years after all..."

_All these years..._

Airbender's brows shot up suddenly, a small gasp escaping his parted lips.

_Could it be…?_

He fixed his gaze on his friend; young features twisting into a sudden scowl with a suspecting glint sparking deep in his eyes.

"Just how _did_ they come into your possession exactly?" Aang pointed his finger into firebender's face in incrimination, a steadily developing turmoil rushing his heart into a mad sprint.

Fire Lord's face was struck with a flabbergasted expression. Unknowingly, teenager's implications stirred dark suspicions of his own, resulting in an anxious churn of Zuko's stomach. And yet, could Aang possibly accept his reasons in an influenced condition like that? Firebender was not entirely sure; his mind momentarily drifting towards their guests gathered in the Grand Hall, their friends and family, his palace's staff – whoever was currently present in the palace. He could not put everyone's safety at risk due to Avatar's seemingly unhinged mind provoked by Fire Lord's irresponsible actions. Sighing in a forced determination, he wondered how Katara always managed to pull Aang back safely at the times like this. But never mind that now; he needed to act both fast and cautious to avoid any collateral damage. And thus, gently lowering teenager's accusing hand, he spoke in a firm, yet soothing tone.

"Aang, please stop. You're acting like some drunkard in a tavern; this isn't you." Young man continued, calling for airbender's voice of reason before jumping into his explanatory tale. "Just think of the impression you will give out as The Avatar to our guests. You gotta get a grip!"

An odd shadow travelled across youth's features. Teenager let out a small huff and lowered his gaze to the stone floor, shaking his head bitterly. His shoulders trembled ever so slightly, as he drew in a few slow breaths. Aang felt as if he had just been splashed over with an ice-cold water, his cloudy mind sobering up somewhat.

"Thanks for your concern, Fire Lord, but I was talking to my friend. And I think he's trying to avoid my question." Airbender replied quietly, slowly freeing his hand from elder boy's feeble grasp and suddenly looking up with a haunted expression. His stature and tone bore no menace, only raw, spilled out emotion. "Zuko, I need to know."

Firebender stared Aang down for a brief moment, two pairs of eyes locking in a silent conversation of their own. Finally, eldest's stern frown softened gradually; the tension easing out with a deep yielding exhale. He spoke in a small voice.

"I know what you must be thinking, Aang. And I wish I could prove you wrong, but... I don't know for sure myself. I came across these some time ago, while going through the cellars. They seemed to be stored there for quite some time, pretty much forgotten behind the bundles of dust. I never knew we had any Air Nomad goods in the palace." Fire Lord admitted simply. Filling his lungs in with a rich intake of air, he steadied himself for his next words; something telling him that after everything they had went through in the past, his friend would appreciate the harsh truth over a sugar-coated excuse. Zuko owned him this. He spoke, acknowledging a prominent question lingering in airbender's eyes. "Chances are that there _were_ more barrels than these, years and years ago. I consider it a sickening, but... rational assumption."

It harrowed him to watch Aang's face be split with a wretched wince, as teenager turned his gaze away from the firebender, clenching his fists tightly in a futile attempt to stop the righteous shivers. It almost made Fire Lord regret his decision of coming clean. Nevertheless, young man quickly shook off the consuming feeling of shame. No. They had chosen to rebuild this world together by introducing the age of peace and establishing profound trust. The scars of the past could never be erased – Zuko knew that all too well – but dwelling on them will only cast you into a quicksand of misery. The sins of the past could never be undone, but dreading them will only lead into a dead-end. There could be no more dark secrets trailing their steps for there would be no trust, if they dare succumb into the shadows.

Setting his jaw in a firm resolve, Fire Lord continued his tale.

"Upon such discovery, I immediately ordered a thorough search across the palace. The whole place was pretty much turned upside down. It lasted for almost one full month, and in the end I was very much relieved that our efforts were all in vain. There were no more Air Nomad relics scattered about. Nonetheless, I followed up with numerous Fire Sages, court members and heads of the military for the same. Together, we did locate some things worth of your attention." He paused, gently placing his hand on Avatar's stiff shoulder, attempting to subtly catch boy's eyes. "My intentions have been to bring Sozin's cycle to an end by returning the relics to their rightful place at the Temples, once their reconstruction is complete that is. But I guess they _did_ call for you before time after all, rightfully so." Zuko finished, uplifting notes tracing his voice.

"Some call that was..." Firebender could barely make out a muffled mutter from his friend. However, before he could ask, he felt warm fingers wrapping around his hand, still resting on youth's shoulder, and giving it a tiny squeeze in return. A pair of dark grey eyes that met his own carried an intense whirlwind of emotion mirroring teenager's soul.

"Sozin's attack was an atrocious, nauseating claim of war. Naturally, the essence of war's tragedy builds up even from the smallest of deeds. I cannot stay oblivious to that. And you know that I cannot forget that catastrophe, too." Aang's brows knit together in determination, his gaze radiant with a definite decision. "The past cannot be forgotten and laid to waste amid dust, but neither can it be a burden. We need to embrace it and move forward to secure a bright and safe future for next generations. And as we learn from our mistakes and from the horrors of our history, the path of peace will present itself eventually. It will take time, but once our wisdom and sacrifices sprout, the legacy will carry on. And of course, my following reincarnations will see that through." Avatar flashed his trademark lopsided grin during his last sentence, pressing his thumb into his own chest. After a small sigh, he proceeded in a more solemn tone with a half-smile still planted on his lips. "I guess what I am trying to say is – thank you, Zuko. I know you had best interests at heart, and your honesty is forever appreciated."

Fire Lord released a breath he didn't realize he was holding and smiled in content.

"I'm relieved to hear that, Aang." He offered a small smile of his own, pausing for a moment before settling on his next words. "And you know what? That actually sounds like a one great toast to me."

Firebender's proposition was welcomed with a beaming smile of Aang's, as he scurried to fetch his mug from Sokka; the latter following behind and praising the spirits that his friends had managed to come to a peaceful consensus. Tribesman acknowledged and honoured his friends' need to settle things without his assistance, and although he believed that it would never had to come to this, he would never hesitate to jump in and mediate in case of a sudden exhalation of a discussion.

"You know what, Zuko? As your great-grandfather, I am very proud of a man you've become," Aang declared after they had clanked their mugs to a toast.

Young Fire Lord's first swig of beer quickly rushed back out, splattering everywhere, as youth choked and wheezed in an attempt to regain his breath. He shot Aang an irritated look.

"Truly? Well, then, _grandfather_ , I reckon, I shouldn't be surprised to find out what a nasty drunkard at the core you truly are." Zuko deadpanned in a hoarse voice. "Is that the Avatar spirit thing? Or is that an Air Nomad talking?"

"Not at all, buddy," airbender demurred, going for another lip-smacking sip. "If anything, I blame Sokka."

"Heeeey!" Tribesman cried out, pouting.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"He's the one, who acquainted me to 'em barrels," Aang shrugged simply.

"Oh, man! How come you rat me out at the first opportunity?! You were like a brother to me!"

"He did?! Nice going, boomerang geek. Way to spoil the redemption of my ancestors' sins," Zuko cast Sokka a dirty glare, only half-joking.

"Apologies, _Your Flaminess_ , but maybe that wouldn't have happened should you let your so-called friends in on your _personal plans_ more often!" Sokka barked in retort, slightly swaying on his feet.

"I had my reasons! What's your excuse for snooping around my _private property_?!"

The firebender and tribesman were about to gnaw at each other's throats; the unified power of young men's piercing stares capable of penetrating all of the walls surrounding Ba Sing Se in an instant. Aang puffed out a despairing sigh before slurping on his beer pensively. That won't do. They'd keep bickering till the end of the night, and seeing his friends go without a prospect of a breather was making his eye twitch. Honestly, why couldn't they just get along and enjoy a calming mug of beer..?

Now just a second...

"Hey, guys!" He called cheerfully and loudly enough for both man to freeze mid-insults. "Say 'ahhhh'."

"Huh?"

"Close enough," Aang smirked slyly before going through a kata, culminating in two small orbs of beer being bended into his friends' gaping mouths in a swift fluid motion.

The victims of an unforeseen attack involuntarily swallowed their punishment, coughing and glaring at the roaring with laughter Avatar.

"Low blow, buddy," Sokka rasped, while Zuko still struggled to recollect his breathing having to do that twice in the last few minutes.

"You either love beer-bending or you hate it, Sokka," Aang reasoned, offering him a fresh refill. "There's no in between, so make up your mind."

Tribesman pouted, trying his best to resist glancing at the stretched out goblet before finally caving in and snatching the drink out of airbender's hands in one impetuous motion.

"I despise you," he muttered into the cup, making it unclear whether he addressed that to Aang or beer. Regardless, either one seemed to be pleased with the outcome.

Zuko stared at the two, amused and finally able to breathe freely and, more importantly, get to enjoy his own share of beer without the risk of choking for his life. "Katara is going to kill you two," he warned quietly, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

"Katara? Where?!" Aang cried in elation, clearly fixating on the first part of his friend's sentence and spinning around to face the door so quickly that he nearly caused himself to trip. Zuko wondered however teenager managed to hold such erudite speeches mere moments ago, although that very well could have been a short-lived glimpse of clarity fuelled by bursting emotions.

"Yeah, Katara's a real party-pooper," Sokka ignored airbender's reaction and sighed with a gloomy shadow cast on his face.

"Don't call my wife that!" Aang resented.

"Your wife who?"

"My wife Katara!"

"She's not your wife," Zuko corrected in mild bemusement, repressing a smile.

"She is! I proposed!" Avatar explained as a matter-of-factly.

"You did? When? What did she say?" Fire Lord inquired with a genuine excitement.

"You proposed to my sister..? I'm gonna be an Avatar's brother in-law?! This is so _awesome_!" Sokka slammed his hands on Aang's shoulders and shook him a little, while the latter flashed a tiny, awkward smile. "This calls for another round!"

Tribesman patted airbender's shaved head and went ahead to fiddle with the barrel and their mugs.

"Well, she... I-I haven't exactly gotten an answer from her yet..." Aang rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, his cheeks turning light pink. "Sokka, you sorta interrupted us before she could say anything."

"Why am I not surprised?" Zuko commented nonchalantly, taking a leisurely swig out of his goblet. "Did he throw another fit of "oogies"?"

"Better to have a fit of oogies, than a fit of honour, me thinks. Oogies don't get you banished, oogies protect your well-being," Sokka retorted unfazed and as firebender stared daggers into him, tribesman wrapped his arm around Avatar's shoulders. "But seriously though, I'm sorry if I messed it up. When was that?"

"Oh, uh... Just now. Upstairs. When you showed up to drag me all the way here," Aang explained simply.

"Oh. Ohhh. Sorry, my man," Sokka looked slightly abashed. "But hey, I'm sure she'll revert positive. Oogies or not, but you two love-birds are the endgame." He gave his friend a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

"He's got a point, Aang. It's normal to be nervous – believe me, I still remember proposing to Mai, but Katara will never turn you down," Zuko encouraged, a sincere smile written on his face.

"Thanks, guys." Avatar murmured bashfully. He frowned a bit. "Yet, talking about upstairs, shouldn't we head back up?"

"You really wanna return to those blowhards?" Tribesman countered, looking at his friend ridiculously.

"Well, I..."

"So, my pantry is your hiding spot now?" Firebender teased, cocking a brow.

"Oh, and you just came down here to think about your place in the universe?" Sokka wondered dryly.

"Maybe," Zuko deadpanned. He then glanced around, patting his abdomen. "Actually, I was looking for something to eat. The finger bites upstairs are making my stomach cry in starvation."

"Nice! Never doubted your greedy guts for a second," Sokka complimented the Fire Lord with a punch on latter's shoulder. The hit turned out a bit sloppy due to beer playing tricks on tribesman's aim. "Does it mean that your next party will be loaded with grubs? A whole carving station maybe?"

"As a future leader of the nation, Sokka, you should understand the standards of running social events of this scale," elder man suggested patiently and gently rubbed the throbbing pain out of his arm. "But as my friend, you might come by some extra servings," he added with a small smile tagging at his mouth before being squeezed in a tight bear hug by the euphoric and grateful tribesman. Eagerly escaping a clumsy embrace, Zuko held his currently over affectionate friend at the length of his stretched out arm by firmly pressing his hand against nineteen-year old's chest, as Sokka still tried to swoop him into yet another clutch.

"Getting back to the point, I'd say we still have sometime before they take notice of our absence upstairs. Uncle would probably cover for us." He would never admit it, but the thought of taking even such a short break from a high-class gathering together with his friends never seemed more appealing. What is more, it would give him an excuse to keep an eye on younger men being under influence. "Besides, I don't think you two are in any condition to attend the function anymore."

"What?" Sokka squealed, slapping away firebender's restraining arm and leaning in close only to spat out his next words. "Are you calling me _drunk_?!"

"Yes, I am," Zuko proclaimed head on, narrowing his eyes at Sokka in a silent challenge.

"Very well," tribesman met his friend's gaze with a matching intensity. "Then I challenge you... to a **Drinking Kai**!"

"You challenge me, the Fire Lord, the supreme ruler of the Fire Nation, one of the world's saviours and protector of the dragons? _In my own palace_?" Zuko pressed slowly in a dangerously quiet tone, sending shivers down his friends' spines.

"Yes," Sokka's eyes sparkled with frantic excitement, though part of it was mostly alcohol. "How about it, _Your Majesty_?"

"Oh, it's on," firebender breathed sullenly with an assertive smirk.

"Excellent!" Tribesman beamed a smile. "Now watch me beat your royal butt. No withdrawing, Fire Lord, unless you're a total wuss."

"How could you say that?!" Zuko resented, instantly losing himself into Sokka's prodding if ever for a brief moment; the latter just snickered in response. Firebender accepted a fresh serve of beer in brooding silence and nestled down on a crate next to his friends.

"Alright, you've got a lotta catching up to do, buddy. Drink up!" Clinking his mug with Zuko's goblet, Sokka instantly downed his share in a few greedy gulps, as if his life depended on it. Fire Lord followed his example.

"Guys, don't you think you should take it easy?" Aang intervened hesitantly.

"Is life easy, Aang? Is there anything that ever comes easy?" Sokka demurred, rubbing his chin pensively. "You need to fight and sacrifice for anything you wish to achieve." He reached for another refill. "No pain," tribesman drew in a fresh portion from the barrel and pointed meaningfully at the full mug beaded with strand droplets, "no gain."

"What about you, Aang? Do you think you can beat our mighty drinker over here?" Zuko wondered.

"Nah, think I'll pass," airbender shook his head.

"Pathetic," tribesman scoffed. "Since when are you giving up so fast?"

"I'm not giving up, Sokka. I just have a feeling that if I consume too much, I'll trigger the Avatar State to sober me up. And I don't think cheating is an honourable way of participating in this," Aang explained with a small shrug. Frankly, he had already observed the subtle rises and drops in the alcoholic levels within his body, only confirming his assumption. The only thing he was unsure about was the limit that would eventually enforce the Avatar State upon him. As of now, he simply felt embraced by a comforting peace with occasional waves of drowsiness rising and retreating every now and then.

"Fair enough," Zuko and Sokka nodded simultaneously in their approval.

"To fair and just challenges," Avatar proposed his toast.

"Hear, hear!" The two competitors scooched over to clank their mugs and took a swig of their drinks.

"So, Aang. What are your plans regarding my sister?" tribesman pondered out loud.

"Uhm," Avatar blushed and casted a confused glance at his friend. "Well, I-I am planning on marrying her? I-if she says 'yes', of course." He absently tapped his fingers on his clay mug, thoughts in his head whirling back to Katara and the excruciating anticipation of her reply. Noticing an uncalled for jab of anxiety ripple waves through his guts, he reminded himself that he really ought to be going back to the Grand Hall soon.

"Maybe you should lay off the beer, Sokka," Zuko suggested half-amused, half-concerned. "Aang had already explained himself before. Or are you blacking out so soon?"

Tribesman groaned.

"For spirit's sake, you don't get it, do you?" Sokka protested in exasperation. He slammed his hand onto airbender's shoulder to the latter's surprised flinch and successfully drew teenager's undivided attention to himself. "Aang, I need to have a talk with you; a serious one."

"Okay..." Aang drawled, looking at the young man expectantly. "What's up?"

"What I'm about to say, I'm gonna tell you not as a friend..."

"You're not my friend?" Aang stared at the tribesman ridiculously.

"Not for the next five minutes," Sokka declared firmly.

"Are you still my friend though?" Zuko interrupted curiously, taking a casual sip out of his goblet.

"Sure..."

"Hey, how come you're still friends with Zuko and not me?"

"Because for _five minutes_ I need to talk to you... as someone else," tribesman's eye was beginning to twitch from the amount of unnecessary questions.

"Well, then who are you, O Stranger of the Southern Water Tribe?" Aang teased, barely hiding his cheeky smirk.

"Katara's older brother," Sokka stated.

Aang blinked.

"Huh," firebender refilled his goblet, getting ready to observe the unfolding scene before him without any interruptions.

"Sokka?" Avatar raised his brows.

Tribesman sighed.

"Aang, as much as you two give me oogies every time you act all smoochie, I honestly could not be happier for you and Katara getting married. I guess, I kinda saw it happening eventually. And I'm super thrilled that it's gonna be you, whom I will have to call my brother." Both young men broke into legitimate grins, although Sokka quickly broke his, assuming a stern frown instead. He loomed over Aang as a dark shadow of doom, his blue eyes steeled and locked with a pair of grey. "But as Katara's only brother, I have to tell you this – if you ever hurt her or cause her any sort of harm and misery, I'm gonna hunt you down and beat your Avatar's ass."

There was a brief moment of silence before both the Avatar and the Fire Lord broke into the shrieking fits of laughter.

"Hey, I'm serious!"

Sokka's resentful cry only added more fuel into the flames of his friends' cackling outbursts, as the two doubled over holding their stomachs and spilling their drinks by accident.

"Shush, you idiots, I'm not kidding here!"

"I think what you're really trying to say, Master Assassin, is that you'll beat Aang's ass in case Katara doesn't kill him first," Zuko wheezed between his shaky breaths.

Aang's hysteria quickly toned down to nervous chuckles.

"Yeah," he rasped, the memories of Katara's furious fits cartwheeling into his mind's eye and making him shudder. "She totally would though."

"But hey, Sokka, if you ever need help locating the Avatar, do send me a hawk," Fire Lord smirked, nudging the tribesman. Aang gave firebender a reproachful look.

"Whatever," Sokka glowered and crossed his arms.

Airbender took note of his future brother-in-law's sulking and felt an uneasy feeling of guilt churn in his stomach. He was only trying to fulfil his duty of a protective older brother, and there's nothing wrong with that; although, his chosen method of a cautionary tale was indeed rather entertaining and quite far-fetched.

Calming his breath, Avatar pressed his right fist against his left palm and bowed lightly in respect to his elder.

"Message received and duly noted, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe," Aang announced genuinely.

"I'm glad we're on the same page," tribesman replied, relaxing a tad.

"Sokka, I honestly admire your confidence, but you do realize that the Avatar, who spared my tyrannous father's life, is the last possible candidate to hurt your sister?" Zuko demanded incredulously.

"Yeah? Well, things happen," Sokka objected dryly.

"How could you say that?" Aang cried in an almost perfect tradition of Zuko.

"Guess that promotes me to the Avatar's best man then, huh?" firebender mused.

"Hey! What's this? Fire Nation and Air Nomads are conspiring together now?"

"I will gladly consider your candidacy, Fire Lord," airbender nodded, if only to pull Sokka's leg.

"Great," Zuko smirked. "I'll also be more useful with suggestions for the wedding night."

"Oi! That's my little sister you're talking about, you bastard! Don't you dare!"

"Hey, I'm just saying," firebender shrugged, holier-than-thou, and gestured at the desperately blushing Avatar. "He's the one who's actually gonna do it."

"ZUKO!" both youths cried innocence to the latter's amusement.

"Besides, it's not like he can talk to his brother in-law on this matter, can he?" the eldest man reasoned, completely unfazed.

"Aang, is that your best choice of a best man?" Sokka deadpanned. "Really? As your best friend..."

"No, no, no," Aang raised his hand in a silencing gesture. "That's the point. Zuko is my best friend now. _You_ are the older brother of my future wife."

Tribesman felt his jaw drop at the record-breaking speed, a painful squeal escaping his throat. As soon as he snapped out of his moment of shock, he accusingly jabbed his finger at the Fire Lord.

"I always knew you were a bad influence on Team Avatar!"

"That sounds like a great toast coming from you, Sokka," Zuko raised his goblet to toast with snickering Aang. "The trip to the Sun Warriors' city was a real bonding experience back in the day. Maybe we should visit them again..."

"Okay, you know what? There's only one way to settle this peacefully now," tribesman announced. "You and me. A Battle of the Elements. Three rounds. The winner gets to be Aang's best man."

The Fire Lord and the Avatar exchanged a quick look, considering the proposed duel. Both nodded after a moment with dramatically solemn air.

"Very well."

"Sounds fair enough," Zuko took a few quick gulps before setting his goblet aside; he rubbed his palms together and flexed his fingers to warm his hands up for the battle, as Sokka did the same. "Let's settle this as adults, once and for all."

Moving to sit in front of each other, young men stretched out one of their arms each with clenched fists, shook them in unison and opened their palms up on the count of three.

"Fire!" cried Zuko with his fingers turned upwards, mimicking the dancing flames.

"Water!" screamed Sokka with his hand stretched horizontally, the palm facing down. "Awwww, a tie! You did it on purpose!"

"No way, you're just so predictable at this..."

"You and your big talk, Your Flaminess! This round doesn't count!"

"Whatever you say..."

"Shut up and let's do it again..."

As the game unfolded, Aang remained a silent observer and occasional negotiator, while enjoying his fresh serve of beer. After multiple draws, Sokka came up with a punishment system making everyone in the room have a drink upon another round ending in a tie. Even as the tribesman lost 1:2 and Zuko was officially announced Avatar's best man, it was decided that Sokka will nonetheless play a significant role by officiating Aang's and Katara's wedding given his family relation to the waterbender and strong friendship with the Avatar. The event will also most likely take place in the Southern Water Tribe, where he was training to be a Chieftain making the decision all more suitable.

Once it was all settled and celebrated with a new wave of toasts and cheers echoing throughout the pantry, tribesman demanded they continue the drinking version of a Battle of the Elements to which he had taken a great liking. Munching away Royal Palace's monthly supply of fire flakes, young men gathered in a circle on the floor and played the game, taking bigger and bigger swigs of beer with each of their respective loses. And all the while a big brother responsibility weighed upon them, Zuko and Sokka did their best to equip a groom-to-be with all the knowledge necessary for the married life.

"When she says 'what?', it's not that she didn't hear ya, she's just giving you a chance to change what you said," Sokka advised, his words stammering over each other. "You know Katara, when she's angry. Be careful or you'll end up frozen in another iceberg, but this time permanly... ugh... perman-ently."

"Yeah," Zuko sympathized, nodding; a feverish glint slowly settling in his eyes. "And you know, it doesn't matter if you're right, just let her have it."

"Oh yes, and about month into marriage be ready to get assaulted with questions, like 'When are you gonna have babies?' by literally everyone. As if having Momo around isn't enough. Like, 'yeah, dunno, but I'm starting my babysitter's list now, wanna sign up?'"

"You got that right," Zuko huffed into his goblet, squirming in his sit a little before letting out a small sigh and confessing. "Mai and I have been actually trying for a while…"

"Trying to sign-up?" Sokka blinked.

"No, you dum-dum," Zuko shook his head humorously, pinching the bridge of his nose to recover from a sudden wave of drowsiness. "Trying to conceive."

"Ohhhhh... Wait. For real?!"

"Way to go, Sifu Hotman!"

Fire Lord's statement brought out a new round of enthusiastic toasts, overflowing mugs of beer and talks of who will end up being a father next and how cool their kids will grow up to be, dancing with dragons, wielding boomerangs, riding the giant koi fish and being their successors to the world.

As the liquid's levels within the barrel had taken a significant decrease over the past few hours, the amount of consumed beer was beginning to show on the young celebrators. Their speeches became plenty slurred; eyes obtained a cloudy tint, and their minds grew more weary and sluggish in reaction. Nonetheless, it never stopped them from continuing their raids on pantry's stock of snacks, testing each other's strength through arm-wrestling, and exploding with cackles at their 'never have I ever' confessions before muffling them out with more drinking. Immersed in the private party of their own, trio paid no heed to the amount of time that had passed anymore, currently devouring the leftover fire flakes and cheering Sokka on in his vain attempt to send boomerang out for another stash of munchies from the top of nearby shelves.

A loud bang of pantry's door from being burst wide open caused a cacophony of unmanly squawks and startled jolts.

"Aang!"

"Sokka!"

"Booze!"

"Toph, no!" Katara chastised immediately, much to the fifteen-year old earthbender's chagrin.

The girls entered the room, quickly assessing the gaping boys with their stuffed cheeks, their formal ropes stained and dusted with crumbs, and their jumpy expressions resembling closely those of the spooked baby rabaroos.

"Busteeeeeeed," Sokka's awkwardly loud whisper resonated through the room.

Mai was the last to set foot into the pantry, standing next to the fuming Katara, astounded Suki and widely grinning Toph. Her arms crossed, Fire Lady cast her husband a cold look. "Zuko, I am not amused."

"Zuko's not here!" Aang exclaimed a bit over-dramatically, smacking Fire Lord's face with a dirty linen from nearby boxes intending for his friend to take cover and hide from his wife's wrath. Instead, the damp cloth leisurely slid down his face, revealing firebender's bewildered features and anxious side-glances towards his beloved.

"Hi, Mai," Zuko murmured guiltily, fidgeting with the linen and eyeing the Fire Lady and the rest apprehensively.

"Sokka, did you drink? Come on, you should know your limits by now, big guy," Suki approached the tribesman, helping him stand up by supporting his weight. "You were gone so long, we were getting really worried."

After taking a few tentative steps, Sokka's legs twisted into a pretzel and he clutched onto Kyoshi warrior for dear life, while she struggled to keep young man in an upright position. Suki pulled him close and hold him tighter with all her warrior strength.

"Wow," Sokka's eyes gleamed with admiration. "You know, you're kinda strong... and beautiful... Like, my type of beautiful." His words slurred in a sloppy attempt of a seductive act, while he slowly slid his arm around girl's shoulders, stroking her bare skin.

"Yeah, and you're kind of... um," Suki cocked an eyebrow and patted his cheek, "well, my husband."

"No waaaaaaay!" Sokka gasped; his eyes growing so wide, Suki wondered how they haven't popped out of his head yet, while Toph guffawed in the background. Young warrior met tribesman's watery gaze with soft amusement. He looked so adorably vulnerable at the moment, it made her heart flutter. She couldn't resist giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"We should probably wash you up, honey," Suki noted, her brows forming a small frown. "I don't think the court would approve of your new scent."

In the meantime, Katara approached the airbender, just as he was standing up and trying to maintain his equilibrium on his currently rather wobbly legs. Despite her sense of aggravation at the whole situation, the girl couldn't help a small smile, as she watched the normally so agile on his feet Avatar having to lean against the wall just to keep his balance. Waterbender's heart clenched at the sight – he looked so helpless! She could feel the most of her recent frustration diffuse hastily.

Holding himself up by pressing one shaky hand against the wall, Aang slowly brought his foggy gaze up, locking his eyes with a familiar pair of ocean blue.

"Katara..."

One awkward step forward, and the all mighty Avatar would've found himself plastered face-first on the cold stone floor, if it wasn't for the waterbender's quick reflexes.

"Take it easy, sweetie; one step at a time." Katara offered her boyfriend an encouraging, gentle smile, while wrapping her arms around teenager's torso firmly; she instantly felt him lean on her for support. A brush of soft fingers across her cheek made her look up and meet Aang's glinting eyes.

"Spirits, I love you so much," he breathed, pulling her into a clumsy bear hug. A worrisome notion related to Katara kept nagging his clouded mind; however, Aang's desperate attempts to grasp the roots of his concern felt as if he had been on a ceaseless chase amid the foggy swamps of the Spirit World. The boy tried to shake this feeling off.

Waterbender rubbed tender circles into the small of his back, hiding an amused smile in his shoulder. She had her answer ready, but she decided to put it off till airbender sobers up.

"How did you find us?" she heard a slur coming from above and smirked.

"You know that you can't hide underground from earthbender's senses, sweetie," Katara explained, slightly pulling away from a hug, but still keeping her arms fixed around teenager. Her features changed into a small, solemn frown. "I was beginning to think something bad happened, since you disappeared for hours. It was kind of scary… Guess someone's going to hear an earful, once he's sober." She squinted at Sokka, who was still clutching onto Suki for dear life. Waterbender sighed in resignation, bringing her attention back to her boyfriend. "Now come on, the party is closing now, we should at least bid our guests farewell. I hope – TOPH BEIFONG, GET AWAY FROM THAT BARREL RIGHT NOW!"

"You're not my mom to tell me what to do, Sugar Queen!" Earthbender objected sharply, drawing a glassful and guzzling the beer down.

"Toph!" Katara growled, releasing her hold on the Avatar abruptly. She dashed towards the teenage girl, only to bump into a rising chest-height pillar of rock and knock the air out of herself. "Did you just... oof... sucker-bended at me?!"

"If that's what you wanna call it, _sucker_! See ya later, losers!" Toph gloated, while disappearing into the hall after the rest of the group, who took their chance to leave mere moments ago, not wishing to touch this never-ending argument of authority with a fifty metre pole.

"You Earth Worm, get back here this inst-..."

"Katara..!"

Waterbender turned around just in time to catch Aang mid-fall and pull him back up on his feet. She sighed in exasperation. "Promise me we'll stop at having one child and one only," Katara said under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh! Nothing," Katara waved it off with a chuckle, letting Aang lean on her, as she guided him out of the pantry.

The fact that three major faces of modern society had unexpectedly vanished for nearly half of the remaining formal event did not go unnoticed, and while their spouses and Uncle Iroh covered for their absence – surely, there must have been a matter of utter importance for them to disappear like that – they found themselves running out of excuses, like 'they were summoned for an urgent meeting', soon enough. It wasn't until Toph's fashionably late arrival that they had been able to locate the missing in action trio and hurry to drag them back into the world. The guests were beginning to take their leave, so the least Team Avatar could do was to see them off.

"Where are we going?"

"Back to your party, Aang..."

"A party?! I loooooooove parties!"

"I know, sweetie," Katara restrained her chuckle.

"But I don't like our guests, they're a bunch of braggers!"

"I know, sweetie," waterbender repeated sombrely.

Aang huffed. "You know who I do like though?"

Katara looked up to meet his glazy eyes.

"You! I like you, Katara! No, not 'like' – love! I love you so, sooooooo much, sweetie!" Aang cried, while trapping his girlfriend in a tight embrace and earning a small squeak from her. The echoes of Avatar's confessions chased down through the maze of halls.

"Yeah, I love you, too, Aang," came out girl's muffled response, as her face was pressed into teenager's shoulder firmly. A few laughs escaped her mouth – she could not decide whether drunk Avatar was too adorable or rather a handful. Then again, it was probably both. She squeezed him harder, hearing a loud 'mwah' from a wet, affectionate kiss planted into the crown of her head.

The way back seemed to take forever, but eventually they had found themselves once more in a vast space of the palace's Grand Hall among the crowd of people. Once she made sure Aang drank some water and they made it to a proper spot, Katara struggled to keep airbender standing still, as she instructed him on thanking departing guests and bidding them good night. She doubted the idea of bringing a flustered Avatar back to event, but nonetheless, the public demanded to see the celebrant, so here they were: a swaying on his feet airbender and an anxious waterbender. Although, as long as she kept Aang out of any attempted conversations, it should go smoothly. Or so she prayed.

Shortly, they were re-joined by the rest of the group, including a rather disoriented Fire Lord and suspiciously quiet Chieftain-in-training.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for coming. Thank you. Have a good night." Positioned in a blissful stupor, Avatar Aang sounded like a poor impression of an iguana parrot with his mouth set in a pleasant smile and his hand giving away a fixed small wave.

"Katara, I think you broke Twinkle Toes," Toph cackled. She could feel the intensity of Katara's death glare fuelled by their earlier fight, but chose to ignore it.

"You've sure gotten here fast," Suki intervened to break the tension. "I assume, everything went smoothly?"

"Well, it started off with his profound confessions of love, which was kinda sweet." Waterbender wrapped her arms around herself before continuing. "But then we spent five minutes in front of that huge mirror back in the corridor, because he went head over heels from meeting 'another airbender', when actually it was just his reflection."

"No way!"

"Yeah! He literally walked into the mirror by accident, started apologizing for bumping into 'someone', and then – voila! – a long lost fellow Air Nomad. Took me forever to drag him away... kind of broke my heart in the process, too." Katara's lips curled up in a sorrowful smile at the recent memory. She shook her head to recover from the uneasy feeling. "How's Sokka?"

"Your brother had to use the bathroom half-way, so I let him. But then he raised a full-blown panic, when he couldn't open the door to exit."

"Oh no!"

"Yes, he went berserk pounding on the door, even tried to knock it down, yet in vain. Toph had to bend the stone wall apart to let him out. Turned out this dum-dum locked himself in and forgot to switch the lock off to open the door." Suki pressed her hand against her mouth to hide escaping chuckles, while Katara just stared at her incredulously before succumbing into a fit of hysterics. She never doubted the capability of her brother for a second.

"Mai, I hate to ask this, but not really. Did Zuko...?"

"Oh, he did, alright. I was taking him to the chambers to change his dirty robes. And on the way, he pulled off an entire lecture on poor parenting and dishonourable leadership in front of Ozai's portrait, when we were passing the gallery hall. Still, it wasn't a big deal until he belched. Who knew that alcohol fuels your fire-bending?"

Mai pressed her lips together to restrain from smiling at her husband's misbehaviour, while the rest of the ladies snorted with laughter. The thought of the uptight Fire Lord Zuko nearly burning down his own palace with his fire-breath activated by a single burp was too much for them to bear. Mai did not blame them, masking her own laugh with a fit of cough.

"Those idiots," Toph wheezed, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Speaking of idiots... Where did they go now?" Katara blinked, realizing that all three young men were missing from their line-up. Again.

"Easy," earthbender smirked, casually pointing to the opposite side of the ballroom. "They're there."

Ladies followed her direction and saw Zuko engaging with Uncle Iroh in a conversation nearby over a steaming cup of tea, while Sokka was snitching some food from the buffet and into Aang's robes that airbender stretched out for him thoughtfully. Gasping, Katara and Suki hurried to chase after their partners and stop their shenanigans. They thanked the spirits that now the crowd in the hall reduced enough that the boys will not earn too much attention. How they had any energy left to move around by themselves, girls will never know.

Noticing the hastily approaching steps, Aang briskly waved at Sokka and drew his attention to the ladies.

"Sokka! Aang! What do you think you're doing?!"

"You could say we are... grabbing a bite?" Sokka's excited grin was so wide, it split his face in two. He swiftly grabbed a couple of papayas from a fruit bowl and cradled them to the chest before speeding off with a maniacal crowing. Avatar followed closely on his heels, cackling evilly and clutching a bundle of his stuffed with goodies robes.

The chase continued across the ballroom, sending the robes of occasional sages flying, as four teenagers zoomed towards the back hall. All went well, until Sokka tripped and landed onto the hard floor, somehow managing to keep his prized papayas from squishing.

"Sokka!" Airbender called, catching up with his friend and slowing down to help him up.

"Aang! Go on without me! Save yourself! But most importantly, save the papayas!" Tribesman cried dramatically, bringing the fruits up for the boy to take. "Now, run, Avatar, run! Escape!"

Just as Aang picked up the speed once again, and the exit to the back area was growing oh so close, his path was cut off by smirking Kyoshi Warrior, who anticipated his attempted escape routes and successfully cornered him. In the meantime, Katara positioned herself on her brother's back, while summoning her bending water to form two orbs on the sides of Sokka's head; tribesman's attempts to wiggle himself free went in vain.

"Alright, you dum-dum, time to sober you up," waterbender said lowly, guiding the glowing orbs to follow boy's main bloodstreams.

"Aang! Restrain your girlfriend!"

"How about restraining your wife first?!" Avatar retorted, as Suki pinched his ears firmly and began dragging him back to the buffet.

A few minutes passed before Katara released her brother from her healing grasp and moved on to her next closest victim/patient – the Fire Lord himself, who knew better than defy waterbender's righteous wrath and submitted to her will instantly.

Sokka slowly got up, shaking his head. He could feel a sense of clarity wash over him gradually and part the stagnant fog in his mind, if even for the most part of it. Much anticipated coordination seemed to be back in tact for the major part, too, although a bare hint of drowsiness still remained. Tribesman also realized just how thirsty he was, quickly making his way to the buffet and chugging down several cups of plain water at once. He never batted an eye, when Aang joined his side; boy's ropes now emptied till the last crumb.

Young men continued to empty the beverage stand, when they noticed one of the few remaining guests currently engaging in a heated one-sided conversation with Uncle Iroh.

"Hey! Hey, Aang!" Sokka hissed and nudged his flustered friend hard, nearly knocking him over with his reacquired force and accidental miscalculation. "Look who's here!"

Aang regained his balance and looked over in a pointed direction, his eyes narrowing dangerously in an instant.

"Lord Zao," he growled, making a mock-face.

"Looks like he's been telling Uncle off for our poor behaviour," Sokka clicked his tongue, watching the Dragon of the West speak calmly before bowing farewell to the sage.

Avatar hummed in thought, his face brightening in a moment at the idea.

"Hey, Sokka, watch this," airbender grinned mischievously before drawing some air into his lungs and achooing loudly in the direction of retreating towards the exit Lord Zao. Abrupt gusts of wind send the robes of the proud sage flying in all directions, revealing his undergarments for a mere moment. Sokka had to slap his hand over his mouth to keep himself from bellowing cackles.

One thing that Aang missed to anticipate, however, was the momentum of his sneeze that was so powerful, it sent boy flying back-first into a nearby column. Upon connecting with hard surface, Avatar's eyes and tattoos glowed white for a brief second before he dropped to his knees with a groan. An electric urge shot through him head-to-toes, leaving a tickling sensation in his fingertips and leading up to the alleviating waves that flowed across his chi paths and washed away most of his recent tipsiness, clearing up his head and sense of equilibrium significantly. Airbender exhaled slowly, repressing the shaking in his limbs caused by an overwhelming burst of senses.

Once his composure was regained, Aang couldn't help, but curl up the corner of his mouth at the thought of Avatar Kyoshi cheating in the ancient drink games by conveniently and discreetly summoning the Avatar State.

"Aang, are you alright?"

Airbender heard rushing steps in his direction and looked up, meeting a worried look on his girlfriend's face. He slowly nodded in response, still somewhat wary of any rushed acts.

Katara kneeled in front of him, placing a gentle hand on his forehead. "Are you sure? Do you need some healing? It could help sober you up."

Aang shook his head, squeezing her hand softly with his own before guiding it to his lips for a quick peck. He offered waterbender a small smile.

"I might have gone into the Avatar State here, and somehow it did the trick. So, I'm feeling a tad better," he chuckled, his crooked grin growing wider. "Much better, in fact."

He rose to his feet, still holding girl's hand in his. A weird impression stroke through his sore mind, and airbender cast a heedful gaze towards his girlfriend.

"Katara, I think there's something that I've wanted to ask you – "

"Oi, lovebirds! The after-party's about to start!"

"The-the after-party?" Aang couldn't help, but cock a brow quizzically at Toph's statement; an abrupt change of subject springing his full attention. He failed to notice a small sigh escape Katara's lips.

A quick look around the hall made couple realize that all ambassadors and officials were gone by now, leaving only a few Water Tribe members, including Chieftain Hakoda and Bato, the Order of White Lotus, Teo and the Mechanist, former Freedom Fighters, and more of their old and newfound friends to roam around the hall and fill in the space with lively chatter and laughter. Out of the corner of his eye, Aang also noticed Sokka setting up the infamous barrel right in the buffet and inviting everyone to 'share a drink of Avatar's people', a proposal that drew a few sheepish chuckles out of airbender's mouth. The next sound to escape his mouth had been a surprised gasp, when he saw The Flameos entering the Grand Hall with instruments ready in their hands; the band continued towards the elevated space on the ballroom's side, where they quickly finished setting up a stage.

"Toph, I have plenty of equipment and resources at hand. Why'd you have to bend my ballroom's floor?" Fire Lord sighed in exasperation.

"You got something against my style, Lord Fancy?" Earthbender demanded with hands placed firmly on her hips, as she admired at her work done.

Zuko huffed, trying to push back the thoughts of all the property damage caused to his palace during this one single evening.

"Maybe we should revise the 'my house is your house' approach", firebender muttered before chugging down a steaming cup of jasmine tea.

A gentle breeze travelled from the balcony and through the palace, spreading the funky music that erupted in the hall moments before. Aang could not stand still, recognizing a familiar rhythm; his legs had moved before he even realized. In the matter of seconds, he had dragged everyone to the emptied space in the middle on the Grand Hall, now claimed as an improvised dance floor. Airbender mingled between the dancing crowd, complimenting them on their free-style moves and giving out suggestions. His beaming smile changed into frown, when he realized that his host had been missing in action. A quick glance around, and his target had been acquired.

"Come on, Sifu Hotman! Time to learn traditional Fire Nation dances!" Aang chirped gleefully, while hauling the Fire Lord onto the dance floor by his sleeve, not even batting an eye at latter's objections and curses. Airbender positioned both of them in the frontline and commanded everyone behind them to follow his instructions before counting down the rhythm and going through the routine of Camelephant Strut, one of his personal favourites.

Uncle Iroh picked up the moves with natural ease, taking a spot next to his nephew and nudging him whenever young Lord would miss a step; Zuko could only bite his lip to contain his frustration. Firebender's eyes caught the sight of Mai, who somehow escaped the fate of being summoned into the dance fest and was not even trying to hide her amusement. Their eyes met, and Zuko's cheeks flushed all the way to the ear-tips at his sudden fit of self-consciousness. Actually, if he recalled correctly, they rarely danced in any of the events they had ever attended. That was rather... unconventional. A corner of his mouth perked up and a playful spark ignited his eyes, as he pranced all the way to his now stunned wife before pulling her in and whirling away in a few graceful spins he remembered from his training as little prince. And as Mai followed his lead, a sincere smile brightened her face, finding its radiant match on the face of her partner.

"You sure know how to pick a lady up, Your Majesty," Mai's chuckles tinted Zuko's cheeks a light pink. "Very smooth."

"Well, would you rather I proceed like him?" Firebender smirked, nodding in general crowd's direction, where Sokka was spinning and prancing around in a makeshift circle amid the dance floor. Despite his slightly exaggerated movements, tribesman seemed to enjoy himself plenty, as he twirled, picking up a scarf from the nearby seats and waving it frantically; the cloth was most likely left behind by one of the guests, but Sokka never put good resources to waste. He made his way across the circle till he reached Suki, throwing the shawl over her back and leading her closer to him to join into an improvised Scarf Dance.

A sight of his closest friends enjoying themselves drew a good-hearted chuckle and a content grin out of the airbender. Going through one of his favoured moves, Aang noticed a graceful flow of yellow and orange from the corner of his eye. His heart fluttering and eyes widening, he marvelled at Katara, who moved with an elegance of the summer spring – bright, fluent and serene. Mesmerised to the very core, Avatar approached her with a few light steps and caught her mid-move, falling into waterbender's rhythm instantly. Their eyes locked intensely and they beamed at each other, bodies flowing as one in a sensational stream of spins, leaps and twirls from the years of combined training and practice. The couple was so drawn to each other that they never noticed how the others had stopped dancing and widened the circle around them to create more space, watching them in content admiration. As the music sped up, Aang whirled Katara around swiftly, yet gently, earning an excited giggle from the girl.

"I love you," Avatar mouthed to the waterbender, as he outstretched his arm and squeezed her hand lightly, encouraging Katara to spin into his welcoming embrace.

"Love you more," came a mouthed reply.

And just as The Flameos struck the final note, Aang caught panting Katara into his arms. Exchanging a thrilled look with his partner, airbender broke into the brightest smile before turning to face his guests.

"That's my girlfriend, everyone!" He announced proudly, his arm wrapped around waterbender's waist.

"How about... your 'wife', Aang?" Katara murmured with a light blush settling on her cheeks.

"My wife?! Even better!" Avatar cheered, grabbing her hand and raising it into the air triumphantly. The crowd stared in a shocked anticipation, as realization slowly dawned upon young man. "Wait..." He blinked. "My... my wife?"

"Well, we probably should start with a 'fiancée' first, don't you think?" Waterbender proposed with a gentle smile. "Because if you're still up to it, that's a 'yes' from my side, sweetie." She fixed her robes to reveal a brand new betrothal necklace around her neck.

"Katara..." Aang breathed; a hurricane of emotions whirled in the grey of his eyes, as all his recent worry rolled from his shoulders. He slowly brought his hand up to tug a stray brown lock behind his beloved's ear before settling on caressing her cheek. "You really are my Forever Girl." Airbender's mouth curved into an adoring smile, as he pulled Katara closer and found her soft lips in a tender kiss.

The crowd broke into the clamour of cheers and congratulations towards the young couple, quickly surrounding them.

"That went smoother than I expected," Sokka told Zuko, rubbing his chin impressed. "Gotta admit, our boy's all grown up now."

Noticing the lack of reply, baffled tribesman turned to face his friend. "Hey, what – No! What the flameo... you're crying?!"

"No!" Firebender bit back, sniffling and blinking rapidly to hide his watering up eyes. "Shut up!"

"OH SPIRITS, YOU'RE CRYING! I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!" Sokka's burst of hysterical cackles was overrun by the crowd's racket.

"I'm not crying..."

"YOU'RE TEAR-BENDING, MAN!" Tribesman slapped Zuko on the shoulder, still guffawing shamelessly.

"I'm not... I-It's... IT'S RAINING! IT'S RAINING, SOKKA!" Fire Lord barked sharply before finally breaking down into a hearty fit of laughter himself.

As the function was inching towards its end, the celebrated couple had heard many toasts and compliments, quickly becoming overwhelmed with the following questions on the date, location and anything related to the upcoming wedding. Hakoda recognized a silent call for help and pulled his card of a protective father, helping Aang and Katara escape and share at least a few peaceful moments alone.

They returned shortly after to find Sokka calling another competition: this time it was a best dance battle. A surprise participant turned out to be Toph, who molded the floor to her benefit, putting up more of a show, than a dance. Still, there were no objections among the crowd, only a pure fascination with her skill – the best prize she could ever ask for.

Feeling drained after all the dancing, Avatar found his way to the buffet, bumping into Sokka right in front of their barrel. Grinning knowingly, they both scooped up a glassful of beer before moving to a balcony and plopping down against the rails. They toasted and quickly emptied their cups in one go, sighing in content.

"So, looks like you got your birthday wish, buddy," Sokka mused, watching their friends and family dance inside of the hall. The noise of happy chatter and laughter mingled with the music and resonated all the way to the patio, where two teenagers sat.

"Yeah," Aang beamed, looking through the crowd; his gaze paused on Katara for a short while before he turned to face the tribesman. "Thanks, Sokka."

He smiled. "That's what big brothers are for."

**Author's Note:**

> And that's a wrap! Boy, did that take a long time to finish. The idea came a while back, when I was doing a beer tasting and suddenly came across one made by a certain abbey. It did indeed have a banana aftertaste and was simply amazing. And as I drank it, I couldn't stop imagining little windy boi Aang working hard in the Air Nomad's brewery under Monk Gyatso's guidance. Later I told this idea to my friend, she got hooked instantly and - voila - this story was born several months later, lol.  
> I never intended to include Kataang's proposal into this bit (if I'm being entirely honest, this story was actually supposed to be a very short one-shot, but whoops), but it sorta flowed with the story, so I blame Sokka for this.  
> I consider ATLA's comic book continuation only as a partial canon, so if my plot goes a tad astray - that's why. Also, I live for late-teen/young adult Gaang. Writing roasts between Sokka and Zuko, and their big brother complex had been too much fun. I might just do it again, hehehe.  
> As well, the fact they we've been stripped off Sokka's intended Scarf Dance in 'The Headband' episode still breaks my heart. Let me see, LET ME SEEEEEEEE.  
> Also, kudos to those who spotted 'Friends' and TFIL references ;)  
> And finally, please drink responsibly and only when you hit the legal age of your respective countries.  
> Well, now that that's all said - thanks a lot for reading, hope you liked it! Let me know what you think :3


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